A maternity nurse in Paris, France, has published a video online that is capturing the hearts of just about everyone who sees it. The video shows twins just moments after birth being gently and lovingly treated to soothing music and a warm bath that mimics the environment of the womb so effectively these babes don’t even wake up. They remain peacefully intertwined, just as they were in the womb.
The nurse, Sonia Rochel, calls this experience the Thalasso Method. Rochel’s method is a form of thalassotherapy, which traditionally involves using seawater or mud from the sea for therapeutic purposes. Rochel has adapted the method for newborns in a way that is so gentle babies seem to sleep right through the birth process.
Thalassotherapy comes from the Greek word thalassa, which means sea. Advocates of the therapy say seawater has benefits that improve the health of the pores of the skin and use it for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes. It is said to relax the body, draw toxins from the skin, and slow the aging process by replacing lost minerals with those in the seawater. As a popular spa treatment, thalassotherapy can involve showering in warmed seawater; the application of mud, seaweed, or sea algae paste; or inhaling fog at the seashore.
The origin of thalassotherapy in modern times is disputed, but archaeological evidence indicates the ancient Romans enjoyed thalassotherapy and thermal baths. There is evidence of its practice in ancient Greece and Egypt, too. Thalassotherapy today is especially popular in and around the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea.
Modern scientific studies in recent years have explored the benefits of thalassotherapy for patients with fibromyalgia, vein diseases, disorders of the lymphatic system, the musculoskeletal system, and the skin. One study of waterbirths and early onset Group B Strep (GBS) found only one case of illness in 4,432 waterbirths; the Thalasso Method may offer similar benefits to a newborn baby.
Waterbirths are a bit different from Rochel’s Thalasso Method of newborn care. During a water birth, the mother spends the last stages of labor in a warm water bath. She may deliver the baby in the bath but not all mothers choose to remain in the water for the delivery.
Source: Sonia, Rochel. “Thalasso Bain Bébé Jumeaux - Twin Baby Bath.” YouTube. Nov 20, 2013. Web. Dec 17, 2013.
